Self‐reported Memory Problems Among the Black Elderly

In a sample of 240 black elderly people, 52% reported poor memory and forget‐fulness to be either very (15.4%) or somewhat (36.6%) serious problems for them. Regression analysis revealed that those black elderly people who had more chronic illnesses, who used a higher number of psychotropic drugs, who were older, and who expressed a higher level of loneliness were more likely to complain about their memory. Loneliness was found to be the strongest predictor of self‐reported memory problems among the black elderly. These findings are discussed.